The battle between the City of London and Uber continues to roll on – and has taken another twist with the introduction of new rules.
The transportation agency is now requiring drivers to meet an English language requirement if they wish to hold a private-hire tax licence.
According to a
Bloomberg report, the rules will apply to the company’s black car service, as well as UberX, and come after Uber successfully sued the city to block the introduction of English requirements that would have applied to drivers from non-English speaking countries. That proposal was considered discriminatory – but rather than back away, the city now wants ALL drivers to prove their English skills by March 31, 2017, irrespective of nationality.
The move is the latest in what is widely seen as increased resistance towards Uber across London. Officials appear to be looking to protect the historic black cab industry that has been a vital part of the city’s transportation system – and for which drivers go through intensive testing and training before they are permitted to drive. Uber drivers, by contrast, face far less stringent requirements.
Speaking on the LBC radio station, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that the language test is one of four rules he wishes to introduce for both Uber and other private hire firms – with others including driver and vehicle information being made known to customers before a journey, an advanced driving test and round-the-clock insurance.
“If you have a medical issue or you know a quicker route, it’s obvious that the person should be able to understand you,” Khan said in the interview. “Nobody wants private hire vehicles to be extinct. There is a space for them and the black taxi as well.”
Khan noted that he has asked for power to control the number of private hire vehicles in the city and noted: “I’m hoping having better standards for PHVs, as we call them, will lead to fewer and better ones.”
Meanwhile, in response, Uber issued a statement suggesting that the rules were unnecessary.
“We’ve always supported spoken English skills, but passing a written English exam has nothing to do with communicating with passengers or getting them safely from A to B,” Uber said in a statement. "Thousands of drivers who’ve spent years providing a great service to Londoners will now have to fork out £200 and pass a writing exam, try to find an old GCSE certificate or lose their licence and their livelihood.”
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